Best high-tech ski gear

CNET doesn't usually write up ski equipment, but with more ski gear going high-tech -- and mingling with the high-tech gear we carry day to day -- we thought we'd have some fun rounding up some of the more innovative ski gear available today.

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Best high-tech ski gear

CNET doesn't usually write up ski equipment, but with more ski gear going high-tech -- and mingling with the high-tech gear we carry day to day -- we thought we'd have some fun rounding up some of the more innovative ski gear as we head into the peak ski season.

While most of the gear in the roundup is battery-powered, not everything has a power component to it. In some cases, we've included items that have high-tech materials or cutting-edge designs.

We'll be updating this feature with new products as we hear about them and test them out. If there's something you think should be included, feel free to suggest it in the comments section and we'll check it out and potentially add it to the list in the future.

Seirus Inferno heated gloves

Gloves with built-in heating mechanisms have been around for a while,
but they're starting to get more sophisticated. The Seirus Inferno is one of the more comfortable ones I've tried, with three temperature settings depending on just how cold it
is. Battery life varies depending on which setting you choose. At the highest setting, which is what you'll want for very cold days, you only get two hours of battery life.

The gloves worked well for me in 10-degree weather, but they don't work universally well for everyone (on a cold day in Vermont, I suggest wearing glove liners + mittens and using low-tech hand warmers).

That caveat aside, the gloves are well made and toggling between the various settings is easy.

GoPro Hero4 Silver

At $400, the GoPro Hero4 Silver
isn't the top-of-line action cam in GoPro's current line (the $500 Hero4 Black is), but it costs a more reasonable $400 and includes some
key new features, including a touchscreen, not found on the Hero3+
Black.

Stepping up to the Hero4 Black gets you 4K resolution, but
for most people, the excellent video quality of this model will be more
than adequate -- which is why we awarded it an Editors' Choice award.

Helly Hansen Supreme Jacket

There are no batteries or Bluetooth in Helly Hansen's flagship Supreme
jacket. But it does have some high-tech features, and not just plenty of
interior pockets for electronics. The idea here is to create a jacket
that's thinner and lighter but also just as warm as thicker jackets (and
also one that doesn't get you too hot when you're skiing hard or the
sun breaks out in the middle of the day).

To that end, the Supreme jacket, which is lighter than last year's top-of-the-line

Thrym jacket, features the latest version of Helly Tech Professional waterproof
breathable, 4-way stretch fabric and an airflow system with laser-cut chest and back air vents (Helly refers to the
whole package as H2FLOW, which it says is more efficient at
regulating body temperature than standard ski jackets).

Also new is the Primaloft Gold down blend in the body and PrimaLoft Black Insulation Hi-Loft in the arms.

The jacket also has a built-in RECCO Rescue System, which would help rescuers find you if you end up getting caught in an avalanche.

In all, the Supreme is a more comfortable, form fitting jacket than than last year's Thyrm. It comes in two colors, Artic Grey (pictured) and Black.

This is a men's jacket, but on the women's side there's the Silverqueen, which offers similar features for $700.

Sony Action Cam Mini

As far as GoPro alternatives go, we're a fan of the Sony Action Cam Mini. It's smaller, lighter and less expensive than the GoPro 4 Silver and offers excellent image quality. It also has a splashproof body, so you don't have to put in a case to film your skiing exploits (or others' exploits).

Editors' Rating

BearTek Bluetooth snow gloves

Tired of taking your gloves off to take calls or control your music while skiing? Well, BearTek's Bluetooth Snowsport gloves turn your hand into a remote control. That's right, these guys have a wireless Sync Module that tucks into a pocket at the top of the gloves (it charges via Micro-USB and gets up to 80 hours of battery life). Pair the gloves with your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone and then tap the on button (on the left thumb of the glove) and you're ready to start performing some basic commands by tapping the touch points on the fingers of the glove to an activation touch point on the thumb.

You answer or decline calls or pause/play music with the top touch sensor on the index finger while the touch sensors on the middle finger allow you to advance tracks forward and skip back. I tested it out with some iTunes tracks (and iTunes radio, which only lets you skip tracks forward), as well as Spotify. It worked better than I thought it would; you just have to make sure to tap the power button if you don't control anything for a few seconds because the gloves automatically lock to prevent accidental activity.

BearTek sells a separate wireless module for controlling certain GoPro cameras, but it's in limited supply and hard to get (I wasn't able to test it out).

Beyond the GoPro controller, it seems clear the company has plans to add functionality to the gloves. Some of the touch sensors haven't been assigned commands yet, so there's some room for improvement. For instance, it'd be nice to be able to access Siri on iOS devices, or Google Now on Android devices so you could make calls with voice commands.

The gloves also come in a motorcycle version and an "all-purpose" version. The ski version I tried did seem pretty warm and well-made.

Giro Edit

GoPro cameras come with helmet-mount accessories, but it's also nice to have a helmet like the Giro Edit that has a GoPro mount integrated right into it. The camera attaches right to the front of the helmet, instead of the top, which allows you to avoid the Teletubby look. Of course, if you have the camera on the front of your helmet, you can't rest your goggles there.

Smith Optics I/OX Elite Turbo Fan (OTG goggle)

For those who wear glasses while they're skiing, you really need an over-the-glass (OTG) goggle. There are many OTG goggles out there, but few that feature a built-in fan to help keep your glasses (and goggles) from fogging up.

Smith Optics IOX Elite Turbo fan is Smith's top-of-the-line OTG goggle. Aside from the quality of the lenses (you get two with the goggle), the big deal here is how quiet the fan is. With most goggles that have integrated fans, including Smith's own, you can can end up hearing the whir of the fan, which can drive some people batty. But I tested this model and it was really quiet. I could hear it in the silence of my office, but when I took it out on the slopes with a slight wind blowing, it was practically silent.

Of course, a lot of people don't want to spend this kind of dough on a pair of goggles (and in the wrong circumstances you still may get some fogging). But this is as good as you get when it comes to OTG goggles.

Outdoor Technology Chips

You'd think that more companies would have made Bluetooth headphones that slip inside your helmet, but Outdoor Technology is one of the few that does (Skullcandy has something for helmets, but I prefer the Chips).

How it works is you charge up the Chips and slide them into the earflaps on your helmet (they should work with most helmets). You want to make sure that no excess padding in your helmet is covering the Chips or else they'll get muffled and you'll lose some volume; you want them as close to your ears as possible.

The Chips have a single button on each earpiece, which you can access through the earflap. In other words, you can answer or end a call by touching the earflap firmly, or pause and play music. What's also nice is that you can access Siri (without taking out your phone) and use voice commands to call people or launch a playlist of music.

I thought the sound quality was decent for Bluetooth but not great. You can find headphones that sound better for $130, but it's really nice to be able to stick your helmet on and have the headphones built-in with no wires to worry about. Battery life is rated at 10 hours and the Chips are sweat- and water-resistant but not waterproof.

Note: For 2015 Outdoor Technology is selling a wired version of the Chips that cost significantly less.

The Outdoor Technology Chips charge via USB and can also be listened to as a corded headphone (cable and carrying pouch included). Alas, they charge via the headphone jack (instead of a standard Micro-USB port). That's fine, but you won't want to lose the charging cable.

POC Receptor Bug Communication (with Beats audio)

Swedish company POC now offers its Receptor Bug helmet with built-in Beats by Dre headphones. This is a wired headphone solution, but you simply snake the included cord (it's the standard Beats detachable cord with an integrated remote/microphone) under your jacket to your audio device of choice, most likely your smartphone.

I compared this to the Outdoor Technology Chips wireless Bluetooth headphone accessory for helmets and the sound you get from the wired Beats is definitely a step up, with bigger bass and louder sound output. You will get some sound leakage from the headphones, so people sitting next to you on the lift will hear your music if you're playing at moderate volumes.

Next ski season, POC will bring Beats by Dre audio to its Fornix helmet ($240). That helmet will hit stores this fall and carry a retail price of $240. The Receptor Bug Communication comes in white and black; the Fornix Bug Communication will also come in a red version.

Chaval Response-XRT heated gloves

I tried Chaval's Response-XRT heated gloves and thought they performed well, though the gloves weren't quite as comfortable as the Seirus gloves I tried.

Seirus has three levels of heat you can toggle between, but Chaval touts its Chaval alphaHEAT 2.0 technology, which, "Thinks for you, automatically adjusting
through infinite levels of heat to keep your hands perfectly warm."

Like other heated gloves, Chaval's are expensive. They'll run you $390.

It's also supposed to improve battery life and Chaval says it's gloves do better warming your hands in sub-zero temperatures. Alas, I only tried them in about 5-degree cold (East Coast skiing), but they did keep my hands warm for an hour straight before I had to come in because my feet were cold. Overall battery life is similar to that of other heated gloves -- between 4 and 6 hours.

Liquid Image Model 339 Apex HD + WiFi

Think of the Liquid Image Model 339 Apex HD + WiFi as a goggle with a GoPro action camera built into it. There are no helmet mounts or extra pieces to deal with; you simply have everything in the goggle.

Like with the GoPros that feature integrated Wi-Fi, the Apex HD + WiFi connects to your smartphone with a free app, which enables you to use your phone's screen as a viewfinder. I had a little trouble connecting the goggles to the app (I found the GoPro worked more consistently), but in my limited testing I thought the video from this camera was solid and I liked the POV of having the camera in the middle of my forehead (you can adjust the angle of the camera, though it requires a small included tool to do so).

Liquid Image designed the goggles to be better weighted and while they're certainly a little top heavy, it's not bad.

The company also sells a newer and less expensive Model 350 OPS Snow Goggle ($199.99) that looks better but doesn't offer as impressive video quality as the Model 339. It's also missing the WiFi connectivity. That said, at least the 350 is in stock while the 339 is harder to find (yes, it's sometimes out of stock).

Smith Optics I/O Recon

This one's for true gadget-heads who also happen to ski.

A few different goggles, including ones from Oakley (Airwave) and Smith, have an integrated Recon Instruments Snow2 heads-up display (HUD). It's a little like Google Glass but for ski goggles and with a ski-centric feature set. That includes a compass, speedometer, and maps of various ski resorts (you can see where you are on the mountain).

The Snow2 is powered by a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip with PowerVR SGX540 GPU with 1GB of RAM of 2GB of built-in flash memory. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and connects to an app on your smartphone. (For a complete lists of specs go here)

There's a 3D accelerometer, 3D gyroscope, and 3D magnetometer, along with altimeter and barometer applications. A handful of integrated apps allow to see how fast you're going, plot where you are on the mountain (the Recon loads maps of resorts), and view text messages and incoming caller ID info. A wearable remote allows you to toggle through menus and apps and control music playback on your phone, among other things.
(Yes, it can control music services such as Spotify and Rdio).

The I/O Recon is overkill for the average skier, but for gearheads it's a lot of fun to use -- and Recon Instruments continues to add new features and updates to the Snow2's firmware.

In fact, Recon recently released a new version of its OS (OS4) that improves both the interface and performance of the Snow2 (if you own a Snow2-equipped goggle, you can download the update from Recon's website here).

The update allows for more reliable smartphone pairing and most importantly, 30 percent better battery life, which was a little short at around 6 hours (you now get "all-day" battery life).

To be safe, you can always bring an external battery with you so you can charge the goggle up a bit at lunchtime (it charges via Micro-USB).

A view of the Recon Hud. The display is mounted on the inside of the goggles in the right corner. You glance down at the display while you're skiing to see how fast you're going (there's a speedometer) and how many vertical feet you've skied. A notification system will show incoming text messages and let you know who's calling. You can also control your music playback.

Lifeproof Fre for iPhone 6

If you don't want to worry about dropping your phone in the snow, your best bet is to get a waterproof case for it.

LifeProof will soon release its popular waterproof case for the iPhone 6 ($79.99). Like with the 5/5S version, a thin, translucent membrane covers the home button,
keeping water and grime out while allowing your fingerprint to still be
read.

iPhone 5/5S users can choose between the Fre and the Nuud, which leaves the screen exposed but still
keeps water and dust out of your phone. The Nuud has a translucent back
while the Fre has a window in back to show off the Apple logo.

Apex MCX-14 ski boots

Denny Hanson, the guy behind the Apex ski boot system, has always looked
at things a little differently when it comes to ski boots. He and his
brother Chris invented rear-entry boots back in in '70s (remember Hanson
ski boots?) and now his Apex ski boot line uses a "Modular Chassis"
design, which essentially combines a "soft" snowboarding boot with a ski
boot shell.

The marketing pitch is that the boots are more comfortable, warmer, and
are better suited to get better performance out of today's shaped skis.
Oh, and you can pop the inner boot out of the shell and walk around in
them afterward.

I will say they take some getting used to and they're not for everyone,
especially at their high price. But after you figure out how to get in
and out of them (it's a bit of a process compared with stepping in and
out of a typical boot), you feel the benefits of their design. They're
comfortable and comparatively warm and the Boa Closure System allows you
to easily make small adjustments to the fit through the course of the
day.

The boots have
improved with each generation (Apex was founded in 2008) and the new MC-X has an updated construction and fit that's better suited to high performance skiing. There's also a seamless 3D molded tongue and an upgraded Vibram sole.

Ideally, of course, Apex would figure out how to bring the cost for its
boots down and make them more mainstream. But for now anyway, an Apex
boot is a little like Tesla -- an innovative piece of gear that'll cost
you a bit extra to own.

EHang Ghost drone

Most drones are hard to fly and expensive, but EHang's Ghost drone is designed to be simple to use and also has a cool auto-follow feature that allows you to film yourself without having to control the drone at the same time. (Check out the demo here).

While we've seen the drone in action, it's only scheduled to ship at the end of January and is in high demand, with the company taking pre-orders on Indiegogo (the GoPro-mount version costs $600 in the early-bird sale).

Hitcase Pro

The iPhone shoots good video, but it doesn't have a wide-angle lens like the GoPro and other action cams. That's where an accessory company like Hitcase comes in. It, along with a few other companies, make waterproof cases that have built-in wide angle lenses that turn your iPhone into an action camera (the Hitcase lens is all glass and has 170-degree angle of view).

The Hitcase Pro for the iPhone 5/5S has a railslide mount system that's GoPro mount-compatible. However, I tested it with the optional $50 chest mount (the ChestR). What's nice is that the swivel mechanism on the mount allows you to tilt your phone down in front of you to use the touch screen. You can then tilt it back when you're ready to start shooting again. It also detaches from the mount pretty easily, allowing you to talk into your phone as you normally would.

Smith Vantage helmet

On the outside at least, there doesn't to be anything all that special about Smith's Vantage helmet. But on the inside, instead of a hard foam you'll find Koroyd inserts. The high-tech material is made of lightweight, eco-friendly polymer extruded tubes thermally welded together to form a strong layer of protection that also allows for good air flow (Smith's marketing name for it is "Aerocore construction"). From the top it looks like a honeycomb with circular, not hexagonal, shaped cylinders.

Beyond the fancy padding, the Vantage has the new BOA FS360 fit system (with a 360-degree halo design), which helps you get a snug, "custom" fit. I skied with the helmet for a day and found it very comfortable. Alas, I tested the all-black model, which isn't so good for photography, but the Vantage does come in other, more exciting colors.

For 2015, Smith has made some small tweaks to the design ofthe Vantage, adding its next-gen AirEvac 2 technology for slightly improved goggle integration and ventilation.

Hotronic FootWarmer S4

To keep my kids' feet warm while skiing, I go the low-tech route and buy a box of toe-warmers on Amazon and stick them to their feet before they step into their boots. But if you want to get more serious about keeping your feet warm in your boots, there's the battery-powered variety from Hotronic, which features a heated footbed.

Apparently it works well for most people (but not everybody). Just keep in mind that these do require a custom install, so count on paying some extra money for that. Most stores won't charge all that much (the store I was in charged $25), but you will pay retail price for the product.

New Trent PowerPak Ultra

Having your phone die on the mountain isn't a good thing, which is why I decided to throw a waterproof external battery pack into this roundup. New Trent just came out with the PowerPak Ultra, which is built around a whopping 14,000mAh battery. It can charge both tablets and phones. It's not small, but it'll provide enough juice for a family's worth of phones.

MyCharge All Terrain+

MyCharge's new rugged, military-grade All Terrain chargers come in a few different capacities and start around $50. They're due out in the next few months, but I got an early preview of the line and seems pretty ideal for skiers.

Madshus emPower

While most of the high-tech gear out there is geared toward downhill skiers and snowboarders, Nordic skiing gets in the mix with Madshus' Empower skis.

The skis have an integrated RFID chip that stores the skis' "unique DNA" and allows you to select the pair for your specific
profile.

And naturally, there's an app for the skis -- the Madshus Empower App. It, "Let's you customize performance each and
every time you head on to the snow thanks to the embedded wax helper.
You can also manage your ski quiver, track workouts, and engage with
Madshus online."

Suunto Ambit3 GPS watch

The third generation of Suunto's Ambit GPS watch comes in a couple
different versions, including the top-of-the-line Ambit3 Peak
and the step-down Ambit3 Sport (a
heart-rate monitor is available as an accessory). It starts around $400 and goes up to $600.

Suunto's Ambit watches are marketed more toward serious hikers, runners, cyclists, and triathletes (it's
compatible with hundreds of apps), but it's got an integrated
barometric altimeter and weather alerts feature and there are several
ski specific apps that chart, for example, how many runs you do, total
vertical feet, and top speed.
And it also interfaces with your iPhone or iPad via the Movescount App.

Wagner Custom Skis

I hesitated to put a ski in this roundup because there are a lot of skis that feature high-tech designs and high-tech materials. But I'll briefly mention Wagner, which creates custom skis according to your "Skier DNA." You answer a bunch of questions about the type of skier you are and the type of ski you want, and all that info gets fed into a program with some 250,000 lines of code, according to the company. Then, a few weeks later, you end up with your perfect pair of skis. At least that's the way it's supposed to work.

It's a cool concept (all the pros have custom skis, so why not you?). But as you might expect, Wagners aren't inexpensive. They start at around $2,000 and go up from there, depending on the type of finish you pick, and you can even provide your own artwork if you choose. Oh, and don't forget the bindings.